Fintech firms unite again over Open Banking January 7, 2022 Fintech firms have come together to offer another robust defence of Open Banking just days after rebuffing claims from Starling boss Anne Boden that the initiative had failed. Speaking at an event organised by Open Banking Excellence, speakers from leading fintechs including Plaid, Token and Klarna argued that Open Banking was underpinning the rollout of [...]
Buy Now Pay Later firm Klarna claims ‘credit cards pose the real risk’ January 7, 2022 Klarna has claimed credit card providers pose a bigger risk to consumers as Government prepares to clampdown on the BNPL sector.
U.S. jobs growth slows well below forecasts January 7, 2022 US jobs growth fell well below forecasts in December as rising COVID-19 infections disrupted economic activity, according to official data released today. The figure in the US Bureau of Labor Statistics report showed that the US economy added 199,000 jobs in December, after economists polled by Reuters had anticiapted a rise of 400,000. Unemployment levels [...]
Online meal maker Gousto raises $150m fresh funding January 7, 2022 Online meal company Gousto has raised a fresh funding led by the Japanese technology investment giant SoftBank.
Cardano Group grows by £18.5bn as it snaps up Dutch sustainability specialist January 7, 2022 Pensions advisory and investment specialist Cardano Group has grown its assets under management (AUM) by over £18.5bn as it completes the acquisition of a Dutch sustainable investing firm today. London-based Cardano has acquired ACTIAM as it looks to broaden its services across investment funds, corporate sustainability analysis and ESG advice. Cardano agreed a deal to [...]
BNPL firms welcome regulation as clampdown looms January 7, 2022 Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) firms have welcomed impending regulation of the sector as the Government prepares to clamp down following a consultation which closed yesterday. Klarna and Clearpay both claimed the time was right for regulation and confirmed they had submitted recommendations on new rules to the Treasury. Alex Marsh, Head of Klarna UK, [...]
Starling Bank boss denounces investors over gender funding gap January 6, 2022 Starling Bank boss Anne Boden criticised venture capital investors today over the growing gender funding gap, claiming they were only willing to back female-led companies “in so-called normal times”. In her annual letter which outlined the bank’s priorities for the year, Boden cited data from Dealroom which showed that venture capital raised by women founders [...]
Advertising tech firm Smartly snaps up London-based Ad-Lib for $100m January 6, 2022 View Post Advertising technology giant Smartly has snapped up a London-based Google advertising firm as it looks to broaden its reach beyond social media. Ad-Lib, which provides Google-focused creative advertising services, was acquired by Helsinki-based Smartly for over $100m, the Wall Street Journal reported. Smartly’s technology previously focused on providing paid social media advertising services [...]
Mazars hit with £250,000 fine over audit failure January 6, 2022 One of Britain’s largest accountancy firms has been slapped with a £250,000 fine over auditing failures of a local authority’s 2019 financial statements. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC), the accounting regulator, said that Mazars’ audit of an unnamed local authority “fell far short of the applicable standards and regulations” and had the “potential to undermine [...]
Build-to-Rent investment soars to record high in 2021 January 6, 2022 Investment into the UK’s build-to-rent sector hit £2.1bn in the last quarter of 2021 as the sector capped off another record year of investment. Investment soared to £2.1bn in the last three months of the year, taking the year to a record high of £4.1bn, according to preliminary data from global real estate advisor CBRE. [...]
